Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (46 page)

1.
About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.

2.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan). Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a 9-by 13-inch pan. (No need to grease the sides.)

3.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, powdered ginger, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk slowly to blend, and then stir in the grated fresh ginger, whisking until it’s distributed. Set this aside.

4.
Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter. Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you don’t have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the
bowl a few times during this process. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined.

5.
Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, slowly whisking just enough to mostly blend. Then pour in approximately a third of the buttermilk, and stir it in. Continue with another third of the flour mixture, and another third of the buttermilk. Then repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk. As you do this, switch to stirring with a spoon when the batter thickens, and mix from the bottom of the bowl after each addition—just enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing. (It’s okay if the finished batter is not completely smooth.)

6.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula. Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out clean.

7.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the gingerbread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting it into 24 rectangular pieces. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

GET CREATIVE

• You can add any or all of these delightful items to the flour mixture when you add the grated ginger:
  
  • -½ cup chopped dried cranberries or cherries
    
  • -½ cup minced crystallized ginger
    
  • -½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
    
  • -½ cup golden raisins
    
• Serve this with:
  
  • -Your favorite applesauce
    
  • -A big spoonful of whipped cream (see Chapter 9: Desserts)
    
  • -Vanilla or fruit-flavored frozen yogurt, or vanilla, strawberry, or coffee ice cream
    
  • -Freshly cut fruit or defrosted frozen berries
    
  • -Store-bought caramel sauce, warmed briefly in a microwave or in a saucepan
    

buttermilk banana bread

Makes about 8 servings

B
anana bread was invented to use up soft overripe bananas. If, from time to time, you’ve got a few extra bananas that are turning dark and soft, don’t throw them out. In just a few minutes, you can transform them into banana bread batter. You’ll need a standard loaf pan for this, about 9 by 5 inches, and about 3 inches deep. You can often find them at garage sales and secondhand stores. Or you can bake two mini-loaves, one to keep and one to bring to someone’s house as a perfect little gift. If you go this route, begin checking for doneness after 40 minutes.

You can make this a day before you plan to serve it. Store it, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a resealable plastic bag, at room temperature—or in the refrigerator if you’re keeping it for more than a day. You can also freeze it whole, or in slices so you can grab a single serving and toast it. (Okay to put it in the toaster still frozen.)

1.
About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.

2.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan). Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a standard-sized loaf pan. (No need to grease the sides.)

3.
Peel the bananas, and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Mash with a fork until they form a mostly smooth pulp; then switch from mashing to mixing as you drizzle the buttermilk directly into the bananas. (You can use the fork or a whisk.) Keep mixing until the mixture is completely blended, and then set this aside.

4.
Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter. Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you don’t have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined.

5.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a second medium-sized bowl. Whisk slowly to blend. Add about half of this dry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring it in with a wooden spoon. Then stir in about half of the banana-buttermilk mixture. Repeat with the remaining dry mixture, followed by the remaining banana-buttermilk mixture, stirring from the bottom of the bowl after each addition, just enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing.

6.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula. Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean.

7.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing it. (The best way to do this is to rap the pan sharply on the counter a few times to loosen the bread, and then let it slide out onto a cooling rack.) To avoid crumbling, wait at least 20 minutes longer to slice and serve.

GET CREATIVE

• Add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips to the flour mixture.
  
• Dress this up by serving it à la mode with any ice cream or frozen yogurt.
  
• Top with a generous pile of cut-up fresh fruit in season. It’s also good topped with Balsamic Strawberries (Chapter 9: Desserts) or fresh blackberries or blueberries. Whipped cream is always welcome.
  

apple crisp

Makes 6 servings

H
ere’s a perfect autumn weekend afternoon: You meet some friends at the farmers’ market and buy a bunch of apples, head to someone’s place, and hang out, peeling, coring, slicing, and chatting. In no time, you’ve got a pile of sliced apples, which you pack in a pan, top with a simple mixture of oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, and toss in the oven. A quick stroll to the corner store for vanilla ice cream, and by the time you’re back, the place smells like heaven. You and your friends hang out some more, over generous helpings of warm, freshly baked apple crisp à la mode, and life, at least for this moment, is A-okay.

1.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan).

2.
Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice the apples, and as you cut them, add the slices to the bowl. As the apples accumulate, toss them with the juice every now and then. When all the apples are sliced and tossed, sprinkle in the granulated sugar and gently toss again. Transfer the apple mixture to a 9-by 13-inch pan, and set it aside.

3.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (30 to 60 seconds on high power), or in a small saucepan over low heat.

4.
Without cleaning it, use the empty apple bowl to combine the oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon, stirring them together briefly. Crumble in the brown sugar, then pour in the melted butter, scraping it all in with a rubber spatula. Use a spoon or fork to mix the butter into the dry ingredients until uniformly blended.

5.
Spread this mixture over the apples in the pan, patting everything down as you go so it forms a solid topping, as evenly distributed as possible.

6.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

GET CREATIVE

• You can make this with different kinds of fruit. Try swapping in pears for some of the apples. In the summer, you can make this with peaches, nectarines, apricots, and/or plums (any combination). The total amount should be 8 to 10 cups of sliced fruit. (With the summer option, sprinkle the cut fruit with 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour and toss to coat, so it won’t end up too wet.)
  
• Add up to ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger to the topping mixture.
  
• Add up to ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds or whole pine nuts to the topping mixture.
  
• Toss up to ½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins with the apples before spreading them in the pan.
  
• Make this vegan by using canola oil instead of butter.